


Summer Breezes I thru IV

by chinae



Category: Highlander - All Media Types, The X-Files
Genre: Crossover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-11-05
Updated: 2001-11-05
Packaged: 2018-11-20 21:55:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11343882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chinae/pseuds/chinae
Summary: Skinner discovers that sometimes love is not meant to die.





	Summer Breezes I thru IV

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Basement](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Basement), which moved to the AO3 to ensure the stories are always available and so that authors may have complete control of their own works. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Basement's collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thebasement/profile).

 

Ghosts by Erika

This is the first part of the "Summer Breezes" series  
Ghosts  
Author: Erika  
Feedback:   
Website:  
http://www.geocities.com/carlajanep/Erika/EEpart00.html  
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EvilChild  
Pairing: Highlander/X-files  
Disc: X-files belongs to Chris Carter, 1013 and Fox Production. Highlander and its characters belong to TPTB at Panzer/Davis and their associated companies.  
Rating: Slash m/m  
Summary: Skinner discovers that sometimes love is not meant to die.  
Beta-reader: Josan who paddles me./Thud/ Smurfette faints. Kid innocently looks up and shrugs, "And they say I'm weird." She ignores the body of the unconscious Quebecois chick and continues reading her list. Pollyanna who whips me. Elz who offered encouraging words and a pillow. And Poet ... sigh ... I am not sure but I hope sometime this century I could once again be able to sit down.  
Actually, Pollyanna a.k.a. Cruella DeVil deserves my unending gratitude for doing the final proof read to these three snippets. More than anything my beloved Cruella truly deserves a great deal of credit for putting up with me. When Pollyanna initially agreed to beta this story, back in May, she had no idea how much of a trial it was going to be, e.g., I had problems with nouns, commas, sentence structure ... you name it ... Having experienced that ... um hell ... it did not stop her from later proof reading and encouraging me to write the following story I was to haphazardly conjure up ... my Angel/Methos crossover.  
Thank-you my looney Brit.  
Hugs.  
Your Evil Child.

* * *

Washington, DC.  
Federal Bureau of Investigation  
Monday

Walter sat in his office, unable to believe the photographs in front of him. The photos, which now absorbed his complete attention, were of a man who brought forth so many emotions. Walter covered his face with his hands. God. Could Benjamin really be alive? How could that be? Walter had seen him die that night so many years ago.

Earlier that morning Mulder had burst into his office demanding his attention. Walter turned in his seat to look out the window, and he thought back to the conversation he had had with Agent Mulder.

"Sir, I need to ..." Mulder had started to explain, but Skinner had quickly cut him off. "Agent Mulder, can't you see I'm busy? I believe that I left a message with Kim stating that I didn't want to be disturbed."

Mulder just ignored his protest and handed him a manila envelope.

"What's this?" Skinner had asked, refusing to open what the agent had handed him. Past experience had taught Skinner that sometimes it was best not to become involved in Mulder's personal crusades.

"You may want to open that, sir." Skinner just raised his right eyebrow and waited. Sure enough, Mulder started fidgeting, and before he could react Mulder grabbed the envelope, opened it and spilled the contents onto Skinner's desk.

"Look," Mulder impatiently pointed to the photographs in front of him. From what Skinner could see, all the photographs were of Alex Krycek. It was only when he examined them more thoroughly that he noticed an unidentified man in the photos.

"A contact informed me that Krycek had been seen visiting the Manhattan area," Mulder briefed Skinner.

"I contacted the Lone Gunmen and with their help we were able to locate Krycek in the company of this man. For some reason, Krycek has been staying in that area, and we think this man is the key. I want the Bureau's support in turning this into a full scale investigation."

Walter hardly heard the words that were coming out of Mulder's mouth. All he could think about was that this man reminded him of his first lover, Benjamin. He almost missed the rest of Mulder's explanation.

"... We believe this man is a university student. A civilian. We are unsure what ties he may have to the Consortium, or Krycek for that matter, but if that rat bastard thinks this guy is important, I want to know the reason."

In the end, a shocked Walter had acquiesced, giving Mulder his permission to investigate the matter further. Mulder had practically skipped out of Skinner's office, but Walter found himself thinking about Benjamin, and what might have been.

Finally, unable to ignore the need growing within him, Walter got up and made his way over to the filing cabinets. He opened a cabinet, rummaged around, found a file, and took out an envelope. Long ago, when his marriage to Sharon had started to crumble and his office resembled more of a haven than his home, Walter had hid the contents of this envelope here in his office.

He brought the envelope back to his desk, and opened it. One of the items fell to the ground and Walter bent to pick it up. Three innocent items, Walter thought, that was all he had left to honour the memory of a man who had taught him more about compassion, love and respect than any other.

He stared down at the object he still held in his hand.

It had been years since he had felt the need to revisit this particular memory. But those photographs Agent Mulder had shown him earlier that morning had vividly brought the past back to the present. It had been something Walter had not experienced in a long time.

Looking outside, taking in the normalcy he saw in front of him, Walter admitted that once, long ago, it used to be that all he did was relive his past. After Vietnam, it was those memories of Benjamin that had kept him alive and sane, able to accept the changes in a country and people who had deemed his sacrifice to be unworthy. It had been those memories that had allowed him to go on and build a life with Sharon, and those memories that kept him grounded during the turbulent years leading up to his divorce.

Turning back to his desk, Walter dropped the remnant he was holding in with the rest. He shook his head, smiling ruefully at the three innocent items on the desk: a lock of hair, a package of gum and an old pen that had the words 'c'est la vie' printed on its side.

"Ben," Walter softly whispered. "Ben," he repeated conjuring up an image of his dead lover in his mind.

They had met in Vietnam, when Benjamin had only been twenty-four, tall, skinny with laughing hazel eyes ... a boy really, who still carried the awkwardness associated with youth. Walter, on the other hand, had been a seasoned fighter of twenty-two, who had judged himself to be a man, and who had stopped believing that man was able to show compassion or human decency.

It was Ben who had opened his eyes and who had taught him that compassion and hope could exist even in the darkest corners of war.

As a foreigner, Ben had had no reason to be stationed in Vietnam. From their conversations Walter had later learned that Ben had lived a comfortable life, and as a medical student from Wales, he had thrown all of that aside and instead volunteered at a French orphanage to care for innocent victims of landmines.

Of all the places he could have been stationed, Walter thanked god for having allowed him the opportunity to meet one of his greatest creations.

While it had been harrowing to lose Benjamin to a gunshot wound, he admitted to himself, to have never met him would have been far worse.

He can still remember what Benjamin was wearing the first time they met. Walter's unit had been assigned to protect and safeguard a small village whose all-important bridge allowed the army access to the jungle below. His unit had been stationed next to the orphanage, where the cries of children could be heard daily. He had been so caught up in his own anguish and self-loathing that he failed to really notice the world around him, but that was all about to change.

One day the soldier inside Walter had taken in the sight of a young man helping the children find a comfortable spot near a white wall. He had been on the roof, guarding the station, and from his position in the second story building he could clearly see the playground below.

After most of the children had been brought out, the young man had gone back inside leaving them in the care of the nuns. Having seen this happen on numerous occasions, where the children were given their daily dose of fresh air, Walter lost interest and went back to guarding his post, ignoring the commotion below him.

It was only when the young man reappeared, carrying three buckets of paint with him, that Walter's attention was again caught.

"Dr. Morgan. Dr. Morgan," the children had called to him, as the young man approached them, carrying his three buckets of paint: red, blue and yellow.

"I want you all to observe," the young man had explained spreading his arms. "I have brought with me gifts from the gods," he told his rapt audience. "I have chased the magical dragon, captured its tail and forced him to take me to his magic kingdom, where he shared with me his secrets. He has given me these gifts. Do you know what they are?" he asked his young audience.

"Paint! Paint!" the children cried out.

The young doctor shook his head and soberly proclaimed, "No." He waited for the children to settle before he continued. "The dragon showed me a secret place where the rainbow meets the stream. There I was able to gather the colours of the rainbow, and I have brought them back with me. The Dragon King," the young man confided, "made me promise that I would draw a picture, in honour of the great rainbow. Would you like to help me?"

"Yes!" the children cried, caught up in the story the young doctor had told them. To the amusement of the audience, consisting of a few nuns and soldiers from Walter's unit stationed nearby, the children gathered around the young doctor, already bent on investigating this magical paint.

As the young man helped the children with the task of mixing the paint, the little imps decided to declare war, two sides throwing paint at each other, hitting the young doctor who was caught in the middle. The laughter of children eventually brought everyone to the school yard, as laughter was so seldom heard in this part of the world. It was a sight to behold and that particular memory still brought a smile to Walter's lips. It had taken Benjamin days to scrub the paint off his skin and even more days before the teasing by the soldiers and children wore down.

They had ended up meeting a few hours later for Walter had been curious, and he had found himself wanting to discover everything about this young man.

He looked at the pictures Mulder had given him of Benjamin's look-alike with Krycek. He wondered, who was he and what was his connection to Alex Krycek? Was he part of the Consortium? For some reason, Walter doubted that Benjamin's double could be involved in something so sinister as the Consortium, but that still did not explain what he was doing hanging out with Krycek.

There were so many questions he wanted to ask this young man and so many he thought were better left unanswered. Ben, did you leave a son behind?

 

* * *

 

Identity Confirmed  
Author: Erika  
Feedback:   
website:  
http://www.geocities.com/carlajanep/Erika/EEpart00.html  
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EvilChild  
Pairing: Highlander/X-files  
Disc: X-files belongs to Chris Carter, 1013 and Fox Production. Highlander and its characters belong to TPTB at Panzer/Davis and their associated companies.  
Rating: Slash m/m  
Summary: Part two. Follows, 'Ghosts.'  
Beta-reader: Mama Bear who really ought to be running for cover. Josan and Pollyanna, who paddle me and made me realize writing fic is really, really hard.

* * *

Skinner's office.  
Tuesday:

Just this afternoon Mulder, who had never learned how to knock, had yet again insisted on seeing Skinner. A week had passed from the time Mulder had first burst into his office demanding the Bureau's cooperation in an ongoing personal investigation. He had shoved pictures at him of Alex Krycek walking in the park holding hands with this civilian - - Adam Pierson.

"I can't believe that bastard is hanging out with a university student," Mulder had angrily declared. "He is probably robbing the kid blind of his school allowance."

Skinner had just ignored him, reminding himself to buy some antacids, and examined the new pictures that Mulder had given him. Skinner read the information they had so far acquired on the young student: Adam Pierson, university exchange student from England, studying Ancient History and Art at the Sorbonne and here in the States studying for a semester at Columbia University. He was fluent in several languages, lived modestly and had no criminal record.

If the documents were to be believed, Skinner thought, what was an exchange student doing with an assassin? And why wasn't Krycek busy hiding out in the sewers or at least out murdering innocent civilians?

If that wasn't enough, a background check on Adam Pierson provided by the French police had added little to their investigation.

"Hmm..."

Skinner glanced away from the photographs. "Mulder?"

"Just thinking," Mulder absent-mindedly answered.

As he waited for his agent to reveal whatever was bothering him, Skinner went back to reading Pierson's file. According to their reports, Adam Pierson was well liked and admired. A student from the University of Paris, who divided his time between Paris and Seacouver, and who worked for a private think tank translating old documents and appraising antiquities. His mother, Carla Pierson had died when Adam was quite young, leaving him an orphan.

Skinner flipped through the pages. It seemed Pierson had been adopted after his mother's death, but he had retained his mother's maiden name.

"You know, if he lost his parents at such an young age, who's paying his bills?" Mulder asked.

"He owns a bookstore," stated Skinner looking through the files until he found the information. "Shakespeare and Company."

"Yeah, he inherited it two years ago after the owner, a friend of his, was killed."

Skinner took out the police report on the case. "He was a key witness for the prosecution that put the man away."

"Okay, so he makes citizen of the week, but is this really a man you see Alex Krycek spending his time with?" Mulder asked in exasperation.

"No." Skinner replied.

"Neither do I."

They shared a look and Skinner already knew what Mulder would ask of him. While he admitted that he felt uneasy due to the resemblance between Adam Pierson and Benjamin Morgan, he had no choice but to concede to Mulder's demands to further investigate Krycek's movements in the Manhattan area. After all, assassins didn't take vacations, did they?

Shaking his head at that stray thought, he sent Mulder on his way and cleared his schedule to start his own investigation on Adam Pierson's connection to Ben.

On a post-it note he wrote down two words, putting a question mark on each. Father? Son? Were these two people, Adam Pierson and Benjamin Morgan, distantly related or were they far closer as he was now beginning to suspect? Benjamin had died because of him, Walter reminded himself. He had died too young, and Walter was not going to let Ben's son die tragically as well.

It would take another day before Walter, after having a brief discussion with Jana Cassidy, the Director of the FBI, was able to set himself up to be in charge of organizing a task force headed by Dana Scully and Fox Mulder for the purpose of investigating Krycek's involvement with the civilian Adam Pierson. It was deemed suspicious by all those involved, or at least by all those who knew Krycek, that he would be spending his free time entertaining a university exchange student. Something was keeping Krycek in Manhattan, and they needed to discover what that reason was before it was too late.

*********

Skinner's office.  
Thursday

Walter sighed. Through his contacts he had been able to access Adam Pierson's birth certificate, which listed Benjamin Morgan as his father. Adam had no other relatives, and Ben had never told him he had a son. Looking at the birth certificate, Walter knew that his lover had died never knowing his fiance had been pregnant. Walter had known of her existence and had been surprised when Ben revealed a prior commitment awaited him back in England.

"Do you ever think about what your life will be like, after the war?" A young Walter had asked his friend.

Ben had picked up a wild flower, and after spending some time looking at it, crushed it in his hand. "I try not to."

He had been surprised at the seriousness of his friend's tone, and he had looked at him uncertainly.

"I have a girl waiting for me," Ben had explained. "We are supposed to get married when I get back."

"Do you love her?" Walter had wanted to know.

"Yes. Come on let's get back to base."

Walter admitted at the time he had been jealous of her place in Ben's life, but he had then refused to dwell on what would occur after the war and instead put her existence in the back of his mind. When Ben was killed, Walter had made sure his few remaining things had been packed and sent back to England. The package had been addressed to Ben's guardian.

Now looking at Adam Pierson's files, Walter found himself surprised at the connection between his dead lover and an old enemy. According to the files, Benjamin had left his son a sizable fortune to be held in trust. The trustee was a Mr. Smythe, or as Mulder called him, the Well-Manicured Man. It seemed the Brit had been a friend of Benjamin's father, Colin Morgan, who had died tragically in the Second World War. Mr. Morgan had used the Brit's family insurance firm as a place of business. Most of his wealth had been tied to that firm, and upon his death it had all been automatically transferred to Benjamin's name and then, in turn, to Benjamin's son, Adam.

So it was safe to assume that Krycek had met Adam Pierson through his Consortium connection, specifically the WMM. Now they needed to figure out was Krycek using Pierson as a cover or was Pierson as innocent as he appeared?

*********

Friday:

Another day lost and still so many questions left unanswered. In preparation for this weekend in Manhattan, Scully and Mulder had been getting their teams ready. Walter had decided to join them later, in hopes of acquiring a better understanding of the relationship between Pierson and Krycek. A part of Walter felt uneasy at the extent to which they were willing to spy on the men. After all, Adam was Benjamin's son; but the FBI agent in him knew that what they were about to do was vital, even if the man in him despised the reason.

Walter picked up the files on Adam Pierson and put them away in his briefcase. He then reached over to the envelope that contained the mementos that symbolized all he had left of Benjamin. This whole week he had found it hard to put the envelope away. He opened it, smiled and took out the gum. God ... how he missed Ben.

Walter closed his eyes, shaking his head and chuckling softly. Benjamin had an oral fixation and as a result always had something in his mouth. Generally those things were toothpicks or gum, and if Walter hadn't known better he would have suspected Benjamin of being a smoker, but every time he had kissed him he had tasted sweet and minty. Benjamin was always carrying Chiclets with him and, in a strange way, it had been part of his persona. God ... he had tasted so sweet, and Walter had never been able to taste that sort of sweetness again. They had only known each other for a few precious weeks, gradually going from friends to lovers, but those few times they had spent together had been enough to have lasted for a lifetime.

Walter put down the gum and tucked it away with the other mementos. He needed to go home. He needed to distance himself from the memories that were surfacing too close for his peace of mind. Later, he told himself, when he had better control of his emotions, he would call Mulder and Scully and get an update on their plans.

 

* * *

 

Series: Summer Breezes.  
Stakeout.  
Author: Erika  
Feedback:   
Website:  
http://www.geocities.com/carlajanep/Erika/EEpart00.html  
http://wwww.egroups.com/group/EvilChild  
Pairing: Highlander/X-files  
Disc: X-files belongs to Chris Carter, 1013 and Fox Production. Highlander and its characters belong to TPTB at Panzer/Davis and their associated companies.  
Rating: Slash m/m  
Summary: Part three, it follows Identity Confirmed.'  
Beta-reader: Pollyanna, who is tickle pink.  
/with yellow polka-dots <g>

* * *

Manhattan  
Central Park  
Saturday.

After being briefed by Mulder, Walter joined Scully in the surveillance van. There were four teams scattered across the city. All four teams were following Adam Pierson as he was the easier target.

Walter briefly glanced through the surveillance notes they already had on Pierson:

Thursday, Pierson attended two university classes in the morning.

9 - 10:30 a.m.. History of Western Civilization.

Agents find Pierson sitting in the back of the classroom making origami horses. Now and then, chuckling could be heard from that end of the room.

11:00 a.m - 12:30 p.m. Art Workshop. Pierson was seen taking an art workshop course, drawing nude models. From what the agent observed, Pierson appeared to be into abstract art. After class, Pierson grabbed a brief lunch then made his way to the library.

A list of books he had photocopied, taken notes from, and actually borrowed from the university library was also documented in the file, Walter discovered. He went back to reading the report. By six in the evening Pierson had made his way back to his Manhattan apartment.

On Friday, Skinner noted, Pierson followed the same routine, but attended different classes.

Just this morning as he was being briefed by Mulder, Pierson had left his residence and could be seen heading for the library to do some research. From what the agents reported, Adam Pierson seemed to lead a very simple life and he divided most of his time between the library, the university pub, Central Park and his apartment. The latest reports indicated that he had received a call in the afternoon and was now making his way back to Central Park.

Walter observing Pierson through the cameras thought, nobody looking at him would think that he was involved with an assassin, let alone someone as dangerous as Krycek. Indeed, Benjamin's son looked like a typical university student, baggy pants, oversized sweater and backpack. He had the grunge look down pat and one of the team members who had been sitting next to Pierson in the library, earlier that morning, had stated that Pierson had been listening to a punk rock band. All normal typical behaviour of those growing up in the digital generation, the team had concluded.

Walter again looked at the cameras and at the agents that were following Pierson. He listened as the agents talked amongst themselves, warning each other of Pierson's leavings and arrival.

"Blue team, I want you to make your way here," Scully directed the agents via the comm. link.

Skinner knew at the end of the day, he would have Pierson's complete daily schedule, from the moment he left his apartment building to the moment he made his way back home. Half an hour later, Pierson could be seen entering Central Park, ignoring the activities around him, slowly searching for someone.

"It's him," Mulder excitedly exclaimed as Alex Krycek was also seen making his way to the park from the opposite direction. "Okay, everybody, heads up. Don't approach subject. I repeat, don't approach either subject. Emmerson, I need the cameras to follow Krycek. Don't lose sight of him," Mulder warned the agent.

While Mulder was busy with making sure his agent kept Krycek within his sight, Skinner directed his own team to keep following Pierson. Aside from the pictures' Mulder had shoved at him of Pierson and Krycek, this would be the first time he would be seeing them together. Skinner was watching Pierson and thus was the first to see as Pierson upon catching sight of Alex Krycek, broke out into a smile. It lit up his whole face giving him a mischievous look, Walter thought.

A few minutes later and Krycek caught up with him; they spoke and made their way to one of the trees. In the van, the cameras adjusted and zoomed in on the two men. Mulder directed an agent, to get closer to Pierson. Hopefully their equipment was sophisticated enough that they would be able to hear their conversation even at this distance.

While Pierson took out a book from his backpack, handed it to Krycek who began reading it to him, two agents made their way to where both men were sitting. From his observation point in the surveillance van, Walter could see that both men were seated side by side leaning against the tree, one reading, the other listening.

In the van, the audio devices where able to pick up the conversations from the people around the park.

"Mommy, he hit me!" a child cried.

And:

"I said no, Jack. It's over."

And:

"Damn. I forgot the napkins."

Until finally the voices of the two people who they were following came through the airways. Krycek clear husky voice could be heard reading a passage from the book, "...I can resist everything except temptation." Krycek paused and leaned forward to kiss Pierson on the lips.

They continued doing this for two more hours, kissing, taking turns reading from the book, now and then Krycek drinking from a water bottle Pierson had brought with him. In the surveillance van Walter could hear Mulder's growing impatience at the scene before them. They had all been expecting some action or some form of violence -- this was, after all, Krycek -- but it appeared that they would be charting unknown territory. At least for now, Krycek was not playing the typical villain.

Finally Mulder could not stand it any longer and he directed his agent to cautiously approach the pair.

"Mulder, what do you think you're doing?" Skinner asked.

"Maybe if Krycek senses danger, we might catch him off guard and ..."

"Not while he has a civilian with him," a horrified Skinner exclaimed. A spooked Krycek was a dangerous animal and Skinner was not going to push in that direction while Pierson was with him. "Call the agents off, Mulder. Tell them to keep their distance."

Mulder resentfully called off the team. Skinner could understand his agent's frustration but if they had to wait, they had to wait.

Around six in the evening Krycek and Pierson got up and made their way to a restaurant. They ordered supper and there they stayed for the next two hours.

Just as the team was beginning to lose all hope the men finished eating and headed toward Pierson's apartment building located across from Central Park. It appeared the men had changed and showered quickly as they were down from the apartment in less than half an hour. They made their way to a dance club and there they stayed for the next two hours.

From the surveillance van, Skinner could hear the idle chatter of the people in the club. At first the agents had had a hard time making and sustaining contact with Pierson. The agents had been for most of the night unsuccessful in approaching either men and in the van Skinner could hear the loud music coming from the club. Everyone was on alert status in case the men should make contact with someone at the club.

Sitting here with the other agents Skinner could hear the various voices from the club floating in. Scully was helping him direct the agents, trying to help decipher if anyone at the club personally knew Pierson or Krycek.

From the agent standing near the door, the following voices could be heard via his comm. link.

"Hey, LiAnn."

"What is it now, Mac?" A young woman's voice could be heard in the background.

"I just saw Victor and he is like necking with this guy ..."

The agent stopped moving allowing the people in the van to hear more clearly hear the conversation taking place around him.

"How many times must I tell you, Ramsey? He's in Chicago. If he is necking with anyone, it's probably that cop we met in the park a week ago."

"But ..."

"Come on. The director is calling us. God. These heels are killing me."

Skinner leaned over the switch board and turned to another signal.

It took all night and but finally they were able to get closer to the suspects. On two occasions, agents on their team were able to get close enough to Pierson to plant two listening devices on him.

It had been considered too dangerous to do the same to Krycek.

From the statement made by the two agents, Krycek did not appear to mind too much when the female agent approached Pierson but he became rather possessive and actually growled at the male agent who had danced with Adam. So, Krycek was territorial. This was useful information and somehow, someway, Walter was sure Mulder would use this tidbit to his advantage.

Walter knew, that by planting the listening device on Pierson they hoped to hear conversation between these two men that might lead to the arrest of Krycek. But the men soon moved away from the dance floor and instead stood next to the speakers. Nobody in the surveillance van was able to decipher their conversation due to the loud background music, but the agents hoped that once the men left the club they would be able to better judge how successful the two agents had been in planting the devices.

Krycek and Pierson eventually left the nightclub in the wee hours of the morning, slowly walking toward the apartment. The surveillance van followed closely behind recording their every movement. Just in case two other agents were sent to follow the two men. They were to film the men as they walked home. A small video camera hidden beneath one of the agent's caps transmitted video signals to the surveillance van.

The suspects walked in total silence and Walter watched from the corner of his eye Scully trying to stop Mulder from tearing his hair out.

Just as everyone was ready to call it a night, as the night team was getting ready to be replaced by the morning shift, Krycek pulled Pierson into an alley. The agents followed closely behind. Krycek pushed Pierson up against the wall and ... yes ... it seemed the two agents had done an excellent job in planting the devices.

All the moans, growls and sighs could be heard through the speakers in the two remaining surveillance vans and the temperature in the van surely went up when Krycek dropped to the ground, opened up Pierson's fly and deep throated him.

Walter closed his eyes blocking the scene in front of him. Adam sounded just like Benjamin. He remembered the first time Ben had done something similar to him. They had been talking and it had turned late so Walter had offered to walk Benjamin home.

"Walter..." Ben had playfully teased, "I don't need someone to walk me home."

"Look, it's only a short distance from the base and ..." a young Walter had tried to explain.

"Oh my hero." Seeing Walter's reaction, Ben had tried to hold back his chuckle. Failing miserably. "You're a regular boy scout there, soldier boy." He had then reached for Walter intent on kissing him but Walter had shoved him away.

Ben had walked silently beside him and had then pushed an unsuspecting Walter against the wall, kissing him. Before Walter could have voiced any opinion, Ben dropped to the ground, unzipped him and took him in his mouth. All Walter could think about was that he had never felt like this and that he was surely going to fall as his legs had turned to jelly.

"Ben. Ben. God. What are you ..."

Ben had let him go. "Shhhh....love it's okay." And he had then gone back to blowing him.

Walter had just tried to hold on, leaning against the wall, trying to keep himself from falling or grabbing on to Ben and shoving his cock into that warm mouth.

Meanwhile, Ben had just kept at it, gentling humming. Later when Walter had time to reflect on it, when he had been able to stop stammering and blushing, he had asked Ben what he had hummed. Ben had laughed and said "Snow White."

It had taken him days to figure it out, Snow White singing ' Whistle While You Work'.

Walter opened his eyes. Laughter, joy, their couplings had always held those two things. Even now those memories seemed to be more part of a dream than reality. He looked over to the television screen, inside the surveillance van, where the intimate moments between these two men was being recorded.

Pierson had his head thrown back, moaning his pleasure and encouraging Krycek. Minutes ticked by and then it was over. Krycek got up, gently holding Pierson and whispered, "Do you want to taste yourself?" Those words seemed to energize Pierson who roughly pulled Krycek forward, kissing him.

Somehow the two listening devices got displaced, they dropped to the floor and were stepped on.

Walter sighed and covered his eyes. He would have probably found this funny if it weren't for the fact that all they had so far on tape was a sexual encounter in a dark alley but no information on the Consortium. Maybe the next team would have better luck.

 

* * *

 

Series: Summer Breezes.  
Title: Running on Empty.  
Author: Erika  
Feedback:   
Pairing: Highlander/X-files  
Rating: Slash m/m  
Disc: X-files belongs to Chris Carter, 1013 and Fox Production. Highlander and its characters belong to TPTB at Panzer/Davis and their associated companies.  
Beta: ME!  
/Kid gently pets her beta/  
Purrrrr...pp  
/And they say I'm weird./

Summary: Worlds collide.  
1\. Ghosts.  
2\. Identity Confirmed.  
3\. Stakeouts.  
4\. Running on Empty.

Website:  
http://www.geocities.com/carlajanep/Erika/EEpart00.html

* * *

Monday: 2nd week

Walter knew he should have headed back to his office in Washington, after all Scully and Mulder were capable agents, but something kept him here in New York.

He needed to see this through, he kept telling himself. At the moment the team was busy trying to decipher the conversations Pierson and Krycek had had two nights before at the dance club. It was a slow process as the technicians tried to separate the static, the background music, and the various discussions around and between the two men. One thing that had already been made clear in this voice recording, most of the conversation between the two had been either in Russian or in Arabic. Mulder had asked for assistance from the department in providing someone to transcribe and translate the recordings.

Scully meanwhile was busy at the university interviewing Pierson's professors and fellow classmates. As Scully attempted to gain information, other agents followed Pierson around the university. This constant surveillance had not gone unnoticed, Pierson had even stopped in the middle of a discussion with his fellow classmates to politely ask an agent if she required assistance. After that event Mulder had told the agents to keep their distance.

Walter looked down at the report, reading the transcript of the conversation that the agent had overhead and had later taken place between her and their subject ...

//"The remake is better."

//"No. No. I still like the original. The final scene with the statue of Liberty ... Priceless."

//"You have no taste, man."

//"So says the film critic who has yet to receive an A on ANY term paper."

//"Hey, quit shoving."

//"Oh come on we all know the best films at the moment are the foreign ones. Hollywood has lost its edge, mi amigo. All they do is repeats."

//"Prove it."

//"Jurassic Park."

//"What's wrong with Barney?"

//"I love you. You love me."

//Laughter.

//"Insult man! Insult. Eagle has satellites and they watch everything. Everything. Don't you think they would have been the first to see Dino running around on an island?"

//"Shake on it. He got you farmer-boy."

//More laughter.

//"What about Star Wars then?"

//"Doesn't count, the second was better than the first."

//"Luke, I am your father."

//"Grow up."

//"Make me Jedi wanna-be."

//"What about Return?"

//Silence.

//"We deny its existence..."

//"Damn right! Aside from the Princess Leia in a bikini I've put it down to Han Solo still frozen nightmare."

//"You too?"

//More laughter.

//"Excuse me, Miss? Is there anything I could help you with?"

Walter took off his glasses. Regardless of his misgivings, Walter knew he needed to resume his duties. Later that evening, he boarded a flight to Washington but not before he informed his agents to keep him updated.

~oo00oo~

Wednesday:

Scully's daily reports indicated what the team had been beginning to suspect ... Pierson led a very normal if somewhat tedious existence. He studied, took notes, drank beer and walked in the park. The only abnormality to his routine was his continued contact with Alex Krycek. What Krycek wanted of this student was the question on everyone's mind. So far Alex Krycek spent most of his time in the apartment building or reading to Pierson in Central Park.

The only progress the team had been able to make was in discovering additional details of the ties between Pierson's family and the Consortium. The voice-recordings, of three nights before, had proven to be useless as the only things the two men had discussed were whether they wanted to dance and what they wanted to drink. The one interesting development, aside from the family history information, was in the nonverbal conversation the two men seem to have had. Scully had noted how often the two men held hands and a close up revealed something interesting and completely unexpected. Scully explained her growing theory to him during one of their daily telephone conversations.

"I have a theory I would like to run by you. When I was an intern at a teaching medical facility in Virginia, one of my patients was a young girl who was both deaf and blind. Her parents communicated with her by touching her face and by creating symbols in her palm."

"What does that have to do with this investigation?"

"It reminded me off the way Krycek and Pierson kept touching one another, in a manner that could be interpreted as sexual but was not."

"Scully."

"Let me explain, if you think back to the beginnings of Sign Language, to how Helen Keller learned the English Language it was through symbols being created on the palm of her hands and face. Symbols she deciphered into a language form. Could Pierson and Krycek been having a conversation all this time, without anybody noticing or being aware of it?"

The videotapes of the two men at the dance clubs and later at the alley were beginning to display important information. With this premise in mind the agents began to study how often the two men had held hands and how many times they touched each other's face. Indeed, during that silent walk home in the wee hours of Sunday morning the two men had been holding hands. A question that arose in everyone's mind was: "Had they known they were being followed." Experts were called up in the hope that they could provide some support to this theory.

Scully had also asked Walter to join them this coming weekend in Manhattan in hopes that his presence would calm an increasing volatile Mulder. Her exact words had been, "Come now or I'm shooting him."

Scully had also stated that the information gathered on Pierson was too sensitive to be sent via email or fax, and that they preferred to give it to him in person. Walter had no choice but to join the team in Manhattan if he wanted answers to his growing questions.

~oo00oo~

Friday:

Experts were still going over the video data of the two men but they were finding it increasingly difficult to gather the information due to the darkness of the dance club and the fact the video camera on the agents had been projected to tape more of the targets' upper bodies. What they could conclude, at this early stage, was that there seemed to be a great deal of flirtation, affection and declaration of ownership.

Krycek kept repeating a certain hand gesture every time he touched Pierson's face. A gesture that translated to mean the word -- Mine. Pierson, on the other hand, seemed more intent in answering everything as a -- Yes. The only other statement that they seemed to have made and the team had been able to decipher by translating the Russian dialogue was the one occasion Krycek had asked Pierson, "Let's blow this joint" to which Pierson had promptly replied, "Do you mean figuratively or literally?" Aside from that particular statement they still had been unable to acquire any proof of wrongdoings on the part of Krycek.

Walter looked at the information Scully had sent him. They were missing something and until he had the opportunity to personally examine all of Pierson's personal history, his questions would remain answered.

~oo00oo~

Saturday: Manhattan

Looking at Mulder, Walter could understand Scully's growing concern over how this case was affecting her partner. He seemed distant and angry. The lack of inaction was frustrating Mulder and while Walter could sympathize, they were not about to put the life of a civilian in danger.

Mulder's frustration also stemmed from their inability to gain entrance into the apartment building. Showing an FBI badge was not getting them in. The residents in the building demanded utter privacy and their connections seemed to extend to the highest levels in government as all requests for a search warrant had been denied.

So, as Mulder's hair thinned from his constant pulling, Walter took this opportunity to read the report containing Pierson's family history. It would appear that Pierson's family connection to the Consortium was a long-standing one.

During the depression, Benjamin's father, Colin Morgan, had befriended a recent widow by the name of Jane Smythe.

Mrs. Smythe was part of the upper class society who had connections to the English aristocracy and to Lloyd's, Britain's foremost financial institution.

She had a teenaged son who had looked up to Colin and the friendship between these two young men had proven beneficial to Benjamin's father as John Smythe's mother, Jane, sponsored the young man into British high society. Colin's introduction into Britain's upper class paved the way into his joining the British Foreign Service, later securing a position at Lloyd's.

Colin had also shown remarkable financial canniness and ability to ride the various downfalls of the market during that turbulent era. If the documents were true, he had been one of the founding members of the Consortium.

Initially, the British arm of the Consortium had been established to fight the spread of Nazism. During the Second World War its main intentions had been to gather vital information to be used against enemies of England. As Colin's financial base solidified, he had sent his friend John Smythe to the States to represent him in dealings with American weapons manufacturers.

Jane Smythe had died during the early part of the war a result of a German bombing raid on London. The two men had remained friends and had stayed in contact during the War with Smythe increasingly becoming more involved in Colin's financial matters. It did appear that Colin had informed Smythe as to his upcoming marriage. Prior to joining his fiance in France, he had send a telegram indicating his intent to marry. He died a year later during a spy mission in France. His wife, a member of the French Resistance, had also died with him. A family friend, a Paris priest by the name of Darius, had raised Benjamin.

There had been no personal contact over the years, between Benjamin and John Smythe, even though as a codicil to his will Colin had named Smythe as trustee of his business dealings, until Benjamin reached the age of maturity.

Walter could not believe what he was reading. Benjamin had been the owner of several businesses in the areas of finance, aviation, and in weapons construction. Benjamin had been twenty-four when he died.

The man Walter had fallen in love with had been opposed to conflict, doing his best to minimize the suffering of others. If Walter had not known the circumstances of his death, a part of him could almost believe that his death had been part of the Consortium unwillingness to deal with a new player who would surely have stopped them from using his resources for their benefit. Benjamin had died four months short of his 25th birthday, four months before he reached the age of maturity stated in his father's will.

Now, as his sole heir and beneficiary of his father's will, Adam Pierson stood to become a very wealthy and powerful man. This could explain Krycek's fascination with the student. But had he come to kill him or to cultivate this relationship for future dealings? As things stood, the FBI could tie Krycek to his connection with the right-wing military group but they still needed evidence to tie him to the Consortium. Until Krycek made a move they had no other choice but to await the outcome.

Two hours later, Walter got up and stretched, sighing as his muscles protested this sudden movement. He needed to take a break from having to absorb all this information. He had noticed a coffee shop nearby, the same one that Pierson had visited the first Saturday. He informed Scully where he was going and was told that Pierson was still at the university. He entered the shop, Devon Bakeries, and ordered some coffee. He did not realize time had passed so quickly until Krycek entered the shop.

From the seating position Walter had taken upon entering the store, he knew Krycek would be unable to see him. Krycek was talking with the owner, Rojas Fester, who had previously introduced herself to Walter. They talked about the weather and then she mentioned something about a package arriving the day before. The owner of the shop went to the back of the store to retrieve the package while Krycek waited patiently for her. Walter was curious: Could this be what they had been looking for, an actual break to the case?

He checked his watch. If Pierson kept to his usual schedule he should be starting to make his way home by now. This was the first time in the past week Krycek had wandered away from the apartment and this might be the first break they had in separating the two men. Krycek walked out of the shop, crossed the street and entered the park. Walter went after him trying to both keep his distance and keep Krycek in sight. He had left his cell-phone in the van and he hoped that his instincts were right, that Mulder would attempt to take advantage of this opportunity and snatch Krycek, even if it was in broad daylight.

Yes, he was right. He had just spotted an agent closing in. Now all they needed was to get to Krycek before he reached the safety of the apartment building. Walter could feel the adrenaline rushing through his body and then there was silence, the eerie silence that usually comes upon a person as he prepares to do battle. So intent were the agents in getting Krycek, Walter realized, that they did not realize a new player had joined them. From the corner of his eye, Walter could see Pierson entering the park. Pierson was early. Walter thought he must have given the agents tracking him the slip and now he too was approaching Krycek. They may have a hostage situation forming. He needed to stop Pierson from reaching Krycek.

As Walter changed direction and instead moved towards Pierson he had not counted on Pierson shouting Krycek's name at the top of his lungs or for Krycek, upon hearing him, turning around and catching sight of him.

What happened next shocked Walter. Instead, of running away from him and the approaching agents, Krycek broke into a run shouting for Pierson and upon reaching him tackled him to the ground, using his body as a shield to protect Pierson from firing range.

Walter was the first to catch-up to the two men and thus was able to hear Pierson ask Alex, "Lover, what is going on?"

That was all the communication the two men had before the other agents reached them, separating the two men and putting them in two separate vans. Walter had seen the confusion and concern on Pierson's face when Krycek had tackled him and a part of him had wanted to comfort the young man, but he squelched that thought and instead joined Scully in the van. They headed towards the safe house, which actually was a converted warehouse the team had been residing in while in Manhattan and prepared for the interrogation that was surely to take place.

During the ride all Walter could think about was the look on Pierson's face.

They reached the warehouse that had once been used by a known gangster. It had been confiscated during a seizure and was now used to train DEA agents. It was not as upscale as other safe houses but it served its purposes.

Upon reaching the safe house, Mulder dragged Krycek to the interrogation room while Scully escorted Pierson to an office to check and see if he had been injured from the tackle Krycek had given him. Pierson seemed a little bit dazed, continually asking for Krycek and glancing about him.

Walter left Pierson in Scully's care and made his way towards the interrogation room that now held Alex Krycek. Upon reaching the room he changed his mind and decided to instead enter the observation area allowing him to view the proceedings through the two-way mirror.

Krycek, Walter observed, was a cool customer. He stared straight ahead ignoring Mulder's questions and volatile outbursts. The only time Krycek glanced at Mulder was when he threatened to interrogate Pierson in the same manner to which Krycek had replied, "I will personally kill you with my bare hands, Mulder, and not even your father can stop me."

"What did you say?" Mulder got up from his chair, went across the room and dragged Krycek up by the collar, throwing him up against the wall. Krycek hit the wall hard.

"You heard me."

"You bastard." Mulder lifted his right hand and took a swing, but Krycek stepped aside.

"Not anymore. I'm no longer your punching bag, Mulder. Not now. Not ever."

An agent knocked on the door and Walter answered. He was handed a file, in it was a listing of the contents of Pierson's backpack and the package Krycek had been carrying. Walter took the file sat down and began to read it. The contents of the backpack contained a CD player with the CD "Headstones" set ready to play; a notebook containing class notes to Pierson's various courses; a wallet with his identification cards; an electronic organizer that contained a schedule to various meetings of the poetry and chess clubs, and reminders to return library books. Interestingly enough the only telephone numbers were those of the university dean, the university library and Devon Bakeries.

Two well-worn books were also found in the backpack. One was a collection of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning's writings and the other was a book of poetry by Lord Bryon.

Now for the package. No, Walter thought, it can't be. The package contained boxes of chocolate. Krycek had bought 20 boxes of Smarties.

They had nothing of use to hold against Krycek. Nothing but suspicion. How to tell Mulder?

He knocked on the glass, knowing that Mulder would hear him, and waited for Mulder in the hall.

"We have a problem." Mulder looked at him, giving him his usual 'I am here but not listening to you gaze.' Skinner had seen this look often staring at him from across his desk, usually when he was bellowing orders, knowing all the while Mulder was miles away, coming up with conspiracies.

"Sir?"

"We have no case. There was nothing in that package except for chocolate from England. A box of Smarties."

"It could be drugs."

"Listen to me, it's chocolate. They opened all the bags and tested them. Nothing but chocolate."

Silence greeted him. Mulder leaned against the wall, his eyes closed. Walter thought he resembled a volcano ready to erupt. Mulder sighed and asked, "Where is Pierson?"

As Walter walked with Mulder in search of Scully, he knew he could not allow Mulder to be alone with Pierson. Scully had moved Pierson to a windowless room in the building and they found him staring intently at the poster containing First Aid information. He was seated with his back to the door. Walter stayed by the door. He was here only to observe not interfere.

Mulder right away asked, "How do you feel having a kept man?" to which Pierson readily replied, "I did not know being a gigolo was a crime. Why, are you interested?"

'So,' Walter thought, 'the kitten has claws.' He continued in this manner until Pierson asked if he was under arrest to which Mulder replied, "No."

Pierson got up and demanded his backpack.

"We are trying to protect you!" Mulder practically shouted.

"From what? Aliens?" Pierson replied.

"Do you believe in aliens?" Mulder asked.

"Yes, they communicate with me via my CD Player. Now can I leave?"

Just as Pierson was about to turn around, Mulder called to him, "Pierson. What about Krycek?"

"Is he under arrest?"

"No." said Mulder who glared at Pierson trying to judge how the young man would react to this statement.

"Then he leaves with me. Any other questions, agent ... " He let the question hang.

"Mulder"

"Any other questions, Agent Mulder?"

"Don't you care? Don't you want to find out the truth?"

"Agent Mulder I am a student. I lead a very simple life. What other truth is there?" Pierson sounded exasperated.

"How your father died?"

"Vietnam."

"Krycek."

"He is my lover, Agent Mulder. That is all I need to know."

"Did you know Krycek was an FBI agent?"

"Is this how you treat one of your own?"

"He is not one of ours." Mulder practically shouted.

"Then he is a civilian. Corruption in your agency seems to be rampant if this is how you treat innocent people." With that statement Pierson finally turned around and walked straight into Walter.

As Walter extended his hands to reach out and steady the young man, Pierson stared at him, paled and took a step back.

"Pierson." Mulder said, "One last question ... Pierson?"

As the silence grew between the three men, and as Pierson continued to stare at him, Walter thought it best to interfere. He shot Mulder a glare, silencing the question that was just about to spring from his lips. He took Pierson's arm and directed him towards the chair.

"I'm Assistant Director Walter Skinner. Are you alright?"

"Vertigo." Pierson exclaimed.

"Excuse me?"

"I spun too quickly," Pierson explained. "I am sorry to have worried you."

From where he was standing Walter could see Mulder's raised eyebrows as though saying, "Who is this kid and what happened to the alley cat?" And just as he was about to shoot Mulder another glare he was distracted by Pierson closing his eyes, sighing deeply and running his hand along his short hair. This action gave him a spiky look. Walter thought Pierson looked tousled and entirely fuckable. He had to get away from this kid, before he embarrassed himself any further.

"Sir." Mulder called to him. "Sir?"

He wondered how many times Mulder had called to him and when had Pierson opened his eyes? Mulder gave him a strange look and turned to Pierson, "There are still some questions we would like to ask you."

"Can I see Alex first?" Pierson asked.

"I don't think that is ..." Mulder started to explain but was soon interrupted by Walter saying, "Of course."

"Sir?" a confused Mulder asked him.

"Wait outside, Mulder. I'll only take a short while."

"Mr. Pierson, if you could wait for us here, I'll have your things gathered up. I'm sure you would like to go home by now.

"And Krycek."

"He will be with you shortly. If you don't mind ..." he nodded at Pierson as he made his way out the door closing it behind him, bracing himself for the growing list of questions he knew Mulder wanted to ask. But first, to find Scully.

Walter told the guard waiting outside the office that they would be back. As they made their way to the main area of the building he explained to Mulder his reasons for wanting Pierson and Krycek in the same room.

"We need," he explained, "to observe how these two men interact and to see if Pierson's earlier bravado holds true or if your questions have actually shaken the young man."

"Alright, but as far as I am concerned we shouldn't lose sight of the fact Krycek left the FBI under suspicious circumstances, has been part of an attack on you sir, where evidence was stolen and was responsible for the death of Melissa Scully."

"Mulder be reasonable, right now we only have evidence that would probably land Krycek a year or two in jail. Unfortunately none of that evidence implicates the Consortium which was what we are really after." Skinner reminded him.

They found Scully in the meeting room still debriefing the team that had been tailing Pierson. The agents noted that Pierson had been following his usual schedule but upon entering the library earlier that morning he seemed to stiffen slightly. One of the agents, who had been stationed in the library, had earlier noted a man waiting impatiently near the entrance of the building. The agent had been keeping a close observation on this suspicious character and noted that this very same man upon catching sight of Pierson had walked towards him.

The stranger was tall, well built, and had black shoulder length hair tied back in a clasp. He was wearing a long black raincoat. He had cornered Pierson near the archives. Upon reaching Pierson he had grabbed the young man's arm and spoken to him. Pierson had refused to look at him instead he had glared at the floor. Just as the agents were thinking of interfering the man had let go of Pierson, walked out of the library and disappeared. Pierson had waited for half an hour and then he too left the building. The agents had tried to follow him but somehow they had lost sight of Pierson as he made his way towards the subway.

The agents were now trying to come up with a sketch of the man, hoping to question him and find out his connection to Adam Pierson.

"Right now," Mulder informed the team, "we cannot afford to speculate what the man's connection is to our subject. We need to look at all the angles. Too much is riding on this."

After Mulder finished that speech the three of them left to accompany Pierson to Krycek.

Walter tried not to make too much of the fact that Pierson seemed glad to see him. Instead he made Pierson walk in front of him with Scully.

As they opened the door to the interrogation room Krycek caught sight of Pierson. He stood up, was about to make his way toward him but something stopped him.

Pierson had his arms crossed and he was shifting from foot to foot. He had yet to glance at Krycek, instead he just kept staring at the floor. Krycek glared at Mulder as though promising dire action.

Pierson finally looked up and made his way to Krycek. Walter thought he resembled a colt wary of his welcome. Everyone watched as Krycek gently touched Pierson's face. Krycek, Walter noted, had repeated the same hand gesture that the team had learned days before signified the word -- Mine. But instead of responding favourably, Pierson stiffened up and Krycek immediately let go of the young man. Pierson then glanced at Krycek, unexpectedly pulled him into a hug, "Sorry, I was wool-gathering."

Krycek checked Pierson for injuries all the while the young man kept calling him, "Motherhen." The two men ignored the shocked gasps that had escaped all three FBI agents upon seeing this new side of Alex Krycek.

Mulder was the first to recover and he quickly asked, "How did you two meet?"

Pierson laughed answering, "I fell into his arms." Upon seeing Scully's raised eyebrow he explained, "I own this small bookstore in Paris called 'Shakespeare & Company'. I was up on a ladder putting some books away when the ladder gave out and Alex caught me."

They all stared at Krycek, while he glared back at them as though daring them to refute this story.

Scully asked. "You speak Russian, Mr. Pierson?"

"I have a talent for languages," Pierson answered.

"Even non-verbal ones?"

"All languages, Agent Scully." Pierson replied leaving the three agents wondering how many other languages Pierson actual spoke.

Mulder looked at Krycek but directed his question at Pierson, "Mr. Pierson, who was that man you were speaking to in the library?"

"You had me followed, Agent Mulder." Pierson asked testily, while Krycek watched him with guarded eyes.

"He seemed very determined to speak to you, in fact you can probably say that he acted quite possessively."

Pierson avoided Krycek's glare, "He is an old acquaintance. Nothing more."

"An old acquaintance you just happened to meet." Mulder continued but was brought up short by Krycek who stopped him by demanding to speak with Skinner.

If he lived to be a hundred, Walter knew he would never understand Krycek's thought processes.

"Look," Krycek explained. "Pierson needs to rest," which Walter believed as Pierson seemed ready to fall asleep standing up. Mulder was getting ready to argue when Krycek again interrupted him. "We'll stay here for the night. We'll leave tomorrow morning but first I need to speak with you, Skinner, alone," he repeated.

Knowing that he had shocked the three FBI agents speechless, Krycek then turned to Pierson. "Come on you lazy-bones." Pierson yawned and asked if he could be fed first, to which Krycek laughed and yes they would feed him.

"Pizza with anchovies," Pierson demanded and Krycek then smiled asking if Scully could show Pierson to his room, he would wait for him there. Krycek waited for Pierson to leave with Scully then turned to the A.D.

"Skinner?"

"What do you think you are doing, Krycek? What game are you playing?" Mulder asked.

"This isn't a game, Mulder. It never was ..." Krycek glanced over at Skinner, ignoring Mulder one more time.

Walter hurried Krycek out of the room hoping to stop the inevitable -- a Mulder eruption. They left Mulder standing inside the interrogation room, in shock, looking around him as though he was caught in an episode of the Twilight Zone.

~oo00oo~

Walter walked with Krycek to the office that had earlier held Pierson. He opened the door and led Krycek inside.

"So. What is this all about, Krycek?" Walter asked.

"Have you ever been in love, Skinner?" Krycek asked him. "Have you ever fallen for someone who made you question everything around you?"

"Krycek." Impatiently.

"Have you?"

"Once. Twice. It was a very long time ago. Are you telling me ..."

"I once thought I had that, Skinner, but I was wrong. Look, all I am trying to tell you is that he is a good kid and I don't want him harmed."

"What happened to you, Krycek?"

"What do you mean?"

"I got the impression you were always in this for your benefit."

"Skinner, we might be able to topple the Consortium." Krycek quietly explained. "We might even be able to do it without shedding blood."

Walter could not believe what he was hearing, but he knew Krycek was serious.

"How?" He asked.

"We need to keep Adam alive. Pierson does not have any other living relatives and we need to make sure control of his trust fund is transferred from Consortium hands to ours."

"You haven't changed."

"Just a moment ago you said I had." Skinner turned around as if to leave the room.

"Skinner, listen to me. Pierson's trust fund is substantial. Over the years, it has increased and the Consortium have been reinvesting it into their illegitimate projects. They have been using it for their own purposes, Skinner. His father did not seem to be very interested in Consortium business and conveniently died overseas." Walter bristled at that last statement but Krycek continued as though there had been no interruptions. "They did not know he was alive until his mother died in a car accident. They lost track of him ... what with that Paris priest moving him from orphanage to orphanage and then to Jesuit schools overseas. We know that he spent some time in Hong Kong but after that they lost track of him completely, only to have him reappear five years ago when he applied to the University of Paris."

He paused as though letting Skinner absorb all this information. Then he continued. "If he does not reach the age of maturity as stated in the will all funds automatically go back to Consortium hands and this time permanently. Listen to me," Krycek said as he grabbed hold of Skinner's arm, "once we all thought the Mafia could not be taken down but we were proven wrong. Money laundering and racketeering. We followed the paper trail and the Godfathers crumbled. We can do the same thing here. I know we can."

"Why are you trusting me with this?" Skinner demanded to know.

Krycek let him go. "I don't. But I do trust that you will keep Mulder in check and hopefully in the process keep Adam alive."

"Then you know you don't need to ask ..." Walter stated but was soon interrupted by Krycek, "I need your help taking him out of Manhattan and to a safer location."

"Why should I believe you?" Walter demanded.

"I need someone to stay with him. I need you."

They probably would have had more to say had they not been interrupted by Mulder who burst in on them demanding to know what was going on. Krycek refused to tell him, saying only that he was finished talking with Skinner and that Adam was probably looking for him. When Mulder looked at Walter demanding an explanation he found himself reluctant to betray Krycek's confidence.

Meanwhile Mulder continued to argue with Krycek, asking him questions, demanding answers.

"He is a civilian, Mulder." Krycek finally answered, to which Mulder replied, "A civilian, with powerful connections and a trust fund to kill for."

Neither agents would have predicted what happened next, but Walter took note of Krycek's right hook and promised himself never to be on the receiving end. Walter helped Mulder take a seat, gave him his handkerchief and promised to get Scully to look after him. He then directed Krycek out of the room and they made their way toward the part of the building that housed the sleeping area.

~oo00oo~

Krycek, Walter noted, seemed to be in a good mood. It appeared that by hitting Mulder, he had released some of the nervous tension he had kept under control. Before they entered the sleeping area Krycek stopped him, and said, "We will talk later." He entered the room.

They found Pierson asleep on the cot, a half-eaten pizza on the table beside him ... no anchovies. Scully was sitting on a chair beside his cot reading a book. She smiled when she saw Walter.

"What are you reading?" Walter said quietly as he and Krycek approached the cot. She handed him the book, "A collection of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning writings."

They saw Krycek sit on the bed and reach for Pierson, his fingers running through Pierson's short hair. Pierson woke up calling, "Alex."

"Sh ... I'm here." Alex affectionately answered.

"Hey. What took you so long?"

"I got held up."

That reminded Walter that he had forgotten all about Mulder, so distracted was he in hearing Pierson's sleepy voice. He informed Scully of Mulder's situation as he pushed her toward the door.

He turned back to the two men to find an even more tousled looking Adam Pierson and a hungry Krycek who was wolfing down his food.

While Walter was still in the room, Krycek took the opportunity to ask Pierson, "Who was he, Adam?"

"Hmm?" Pierson replied looking toward Walter a question in his gaze.

"The man in the library." Krycek again asked getting his lover's attention.

Pierson sighed. "He was no one." At Krycek's continued glare, he explained. "No one for you to worry about, Alex."

"An old lover?" Alex asked knowingly.

"No. He was never that." A look of pain appeared and as quickly disappeared. "We were friends once but things got complicated. This was the first time I had seen him in over six months."

"Will he be a problem?"

Pierson glanced at him and said, "No. He is part of my past; you are my future. Alex, believe me. I really was not expecting to see him again."

Krycek nodded and left it at that. Then he explained to Pierson. "Adam, I need to go away for a few days." Before Pierson could interrupt him, he continued. "You will be staying in your apartment with Skinner. He will keep you safe."

Walter had not been expecting this and he did not know how to respond.

"You are leaving me?" Pierson asked.

"No. Adam, I need to look for a safer place for us and you can trust Skinner."

"When will you leave?"

"Tomorrow. Adam, I need to do this as soon as possible. You know how important this is."

"I know. You already explained this to me, Alex ... Consortium, Alien pod scum, shape-shifters, werewolves, oh my." Pierson finished sarcastically.

"Adam."

"I know my role in this, Krycek. I know you need me alive. I will fulfill my end of the bargain, don't worry." And with that said, he lay on the cot and closed his eyes.

As Krycek made a move towards the door Pierson said, "Alex. If I admit to having a really rough day, could you just forget ... never mind." He sighed deeply. "I promise to start playing house with Skinner tomorrow but could it just be the two of us tonight?"

Walter nodded to Krycek as he headed towards the door. He glanced back to see Krycek already beside Pierson on the cot, his arms around him.

~oo00oo~

Sunday:

The night before, Walter had explained to Mulder that he would be staying with Pierson at the young man's apartment, keeping an eye on the situation while the agents guarded the outside. Mulder had demanded a more detailed explanation and Walter had spent the rest of the night trying to convince him as to the prudence of this action.

Most of the conversation had gone along the lines of ...

"Are you mad!" Mulder had demanded. "You're trusting that double-crossing ..."

"Enough. Agent Mulder, I really don't think you need to preach to the converted when it comes to the issue of Krycek. Let me again remind you we are here for two reasons, to build a case against him and to protect the civilian. Those priorities have not changed," argued Skinner feeling an overpowering urge to pull his hair out. Unfortunately nature had beaten him to it.

Now, in the early hours of Sunday morning, Walter found himself doubting his own decision and his own ability to keep his self-control around Adam Pierson. He seemed so much like Ben, Walter reflected, that no wonder Krycek was showing signs of becoming human. Who else but Benjamin's son could have brought out that side of Krycek.

As Walter made his way to the conference room, he met an agent who informed him that Alex Krycek and Agent Mulder were arguing up ahead, but Adam Pierson was in the conference room with Agent Scully. He decided to go downstairs and was met by an amused Scully and a cheerful Pierson. It appeared that they were exchanging war stories. Pierson was recounting his years spent between Hong Kong and Paris, information not even the Lone Gunmen had been able to discover, and Scully was relating to him her first impression of Krycek as an FBI agent and as Mulder's partner.

"No ..." Pierson asked in disbelief. "He really looked that geeky?" There was laughter in his voice.

"He was wearing this horrible polyester suit. His hair was longer then. The first time I looked at him I thought he gave the impression of someone who would have jumped at his own shadow, not someone who would kill ..." Scully stopped speaking and Walter moved to intercept but Pierson's next words surprised him.

"I know behind that angel face lies a killer but, Scully, I don't think he killed your sister. He would have told me." Scully looked at him, really looked at him, wondering what truly lay behind that student facade that Adam had suddenly shed as his voice turned serious. " My life in is danger isn't it? He told me you see, wanted me to know, gave me a choice, confessed ... in a way." Pierson shrugged. "Every boy wants to grow up and play the hero and Alex is right, unstopped the Consortium will kill too many innocent civilians and if we are not careful they could destroy humanity in the process."

Just as the stories began to get really interesting, Krycek walked in followed by an angry Mulder. "Damn you. I'm talking to you, Krycek!" Mulder stopped in front of them. "What's going on?"

Pierson just smiled. "Scully is showing me some of Krycek's baby pictures." They all watched as Krycek made his way towards Pierson all the while glaring at Scully. Krycek upon reaching Pierson, kissed him and as he let him go said, "Later. We need to go home first."

Pierson got up to follow Krycek. As he made his way to the door he stopped and turned around. "If you are not busy, Agent Scully, I would really like to continue this conversation, maybe over a cup of tea." Krycek growled, took Pierson by the arm and dragged the young man after him, Scully's laughter followed them.

An amused Walter later joined Krycek and Pierson at the entrance of the building carrying a small carry-on case with him. They all got into separate vans and made their way to Pierson's apartment.

Once at the apartment building, Pierson introduced Walter to the security guard, explaining that he was a family friend here in town for a visit. "John, this is Walter Skinner, a family friend who will be staying for the next few weeks." He glanced toward Krycek as though confirming this. "Please see that his name is put down in the register book."

Then they both took him to the tenth floor of the building where Walter walked into an apartment that was both lush and comfortable.

One thing Walter noticed right away was the number of paintings scattered about the place. Some of the paintings were from such famous artists as Monet or Picasso, others were more obscure. As he made his way to the main room he caught sight of a statue of a man looking up towards the heavens. A plaque beside the statue had the name of the artist, Tessa Noel, written on it with the title 'Something Greater.'

He also noticed some recent photographs of a young woman. The background of the pictures seemed to indicate Egypt or somewhere else in the Middle East.

As he turned around the room he caught sight of Krycek looking at him. "Can you cook?" Krycek asked.

Of all the questions Walter thought he would be asked, this was certainly the strangest. "Yes, is there a reason ..." He let the question hang in the air.

"Whatever you do, no matter how nicely he begs, how charming he becomes, don't let him anywhere near the kitchen. Left on his own Adam would likely cook some obscure food and accidentally end up poisoning you."

Walter continued to stare at him. "Don't tell me I didn't warn you. He thinks fried grasshoppers are a delicacy. I blame it on all those years he spent with the Jesuit priests in Africa." With this surprising statement made, he then left Walter in the living room, informing him that he was going to help Pierson prepare the guest room. Walter had to wonder if Krycek spoke from personal experience about Pierson's cooking abilities.

When more than an hour went by, and with no sign of either of his hosts, Walter had to conclude that they had forgotten all about him. He decided to investigate and soon found himself charmed by the various personal touches in the apartment. Aside from various expensive objects, like the Lord Bryon letter addressed to a mysterious lover hanging on a frame at the entrance of the library, most of the artefacts seemed to have been collected over time. If Walter had to make an educated guess, he would probably assume these items had passed from one generation to another. He wondered which of these items would have belonged to Ben, and which were solely Pierson's.

As he made his way towards the area that probably held the bedrooms, he found two other rooms: one appearing to be an entertainment area housing all kinds of gadgets, while the other seemed to be used more as a workshop, if the number of paint pans were any indication. As he reached the entrance of the hallway leading to the bedrooms he heard some muffled cries and moans. He decided that it would be best to head back to the living room area.

Twenty minutes later, a more relaxed Krycek appeared.

"Skinner?" Krycek called his name several times and Walter realized he had been staring at the younger man.

Krycek gave him a puzzled look and directed Walter to the guest room. The guest room was large, containing a queen size bed covered with forest green silk sheets. Walter realized that the room provided all the creatures comforts one required. Krycek then left the room, and on his way out informed Walter that lunch would be served within an hour.

At the end of the day, Walter realized he had spent an enjoyable evening with these two men. Aside from their slight age differences, Krycek and Pierson were quite compatible, both were well read, argumentative and found humour in the same things.

Here in the privacy of their home, both men were able to relax and forget the daily hassles of the real world. While Pierson was in the kitchen, putting things away, Krycek gave Walter an official tour of the apartment.

"When did you two meet?" Walter asked Krycek as they entered another room in the condominium.

Krycek frowned slightly. He glanced at the floor. "He was so fragile. It clung to him, this vulnerability he showed to the world. This sudden need he had to have someone in his life. To be alive. I was surprised I was the first to answer its call. Pierson," Krycek further explained, "had just lost three brothers, not actual brothers but childhood friends from the orphanage."

Before Walter could cut in with his questions Krycek informed him, "He had grown up with these men, spending most of his childhood and teenage years with them.

"What happened?" Walter asked needing to know about Pierson's life.

"Two of them were killed and one was murdered," Krycek explained. "When I first met Adam, I soon found out that he was not handling their deaths very well. Even though, as he told me, he had lost touch with them years ago, knowing that they were alive somewhere in the world gave him some comfort. Like he really was not alone. Adam never really had a home. He was always moving from one place to another."

"What were you doing in Paris?"

"It's a long story" Seeing Walter's scepticism, Krycek continued. "I had just finished doing this small job for the Brit and ... it was legitimate, Walter ... when I entered this bookshop and saved Adam's life. He fell off this ladder and into my arms. It was as though he belonged there and maybe he always had." Krycek paused. "Skinner, in my line of business I am not used to saving people's lives. I got curious." Krycek explained shrugging his shoulder. "Imagine my surprise when I found out how closely he was tied to the Consortium."

"How much does he really know?" Walter asked remembering Pierson's earlier conversation with Scully.

"Enough to convince him that his life is important. I told him that these people make the Biblical Four Horseman look like saints."

"So we need to keep him alive until ..."

"At least November the eighth. He needs to claim his inheritance and wrestle his trust fund from Consortium hands," Krycek explained.

And just as Walter was beginning to think that he could have a normal conversation with Alex Krycek the younger man declared. "Skinner. I know you are attracted to him."

"Krycek," Walter said in exasperation.

"Look. I need to find a safe place for us and I don't know how long that will take. I don't want you to forget that he is mine, Skinner. I see how you look at him. The way you smile when he smiles. The way your fist clenched during Mulder's tirade against him."

"Krycek. He is not a thing."

"I found him, Skinner." And then in a more calmer voiced added, "I don't want Mulder anywhere near him."

"What's the deal between you and Mulder?" Walter knew he had hit a nerve. He wasn't blind to the fact Mulder was having a difficult time in this assignment, nor to the obvious sparks that always seem to jump anytime the two men were near each other. But even he had to admit, that this time things with Krycek had been different. Krycek had seemed more subdued around Mulder, less willing to be pushed around, and instead he had been quite demonstrative of his affections toward Pierson.

Krycek just kept staring at him as though weighing his answer and Walter's possible reaction. He sighed, "It didn't work out. His search for the truth overrides even his own needs. I don't think Mulder can ever understand that there exists more than one version of the truth and that this quest he is on, this Holy Grail, may end up destroying the very things he is trying to protect."

Krycek stopped as though gathering his words. "I don't want Adam to get hurt in Mulder's search for the truth, Skinner. I want Adam to search for his own truth, for his own quest, not live and die by someone else's rules."

"You will be leaving tomorrow?" Walter asked.

"Yeah. I'll get in touch with you as soon as I can. Hopefully, finding a place may take me less than a week."

"By the way," Krycek said as Pierson approached them, "don't play chess with him ... he cheats."

"I heard that." Pierson told him as he came up to them, a smile on his face.

Krycek chuckled and turned to Walter, "Good night Skinner. We will talk some more in the morning."

"Goodnight Krycek. Pierson."

Pierson looked at Walter, turning his head to one side and said, "My name is Adam."

To which Walter replied, "Please call me, Walter."

"Goodnight, Walter." Adam grinned.

Now in his bed Walter found himself unable to sleep. He was not used to sleeping on silk sheets, but he knew that was a weak excuse for his inability to sleep.

He could hear Krycek and Pierson making love even from across the hall. He could hear their joint moans of pleasure, their cries and their pleas for more. Walter wrapped the pillows around his ears and tried to shut out the noise but it was of no use. His mind kept replaying the sound, making it seem as though the men were right next to him. Walter found that he needed release. He shut his eyes trying to concentrate on the sound the two men were making.

Walter could hear muffled laughter followed by Krycek's husky voice repeating Adam's name.

He got up and removed his briefs, laying on the cool silk sheets, with his right hand travelling along his partially erect cock trying desperately to increase the pressure he felt growing inside him. He spread his legs, his left hand holding onto the bedrail as his right hand moved up and down his cock picking up speed. Walter breathed in deeply, the top of his cock was glistening with pre-cum and a slight musk permeated the room. He could now hear Krycek desperately begging Pierson to take him and Walter let go of the rail.

He knew what he was about to do next was going to hurt, but he had not thought he would need to come prepared for this trip. He had no choice but to suck his left index finger and coat it with saliva. He took with his right hand some of the pre-cum that had escaped and spread as much of it as possible near the opening of his anus and then with his left index finger pushed in. He hissed at the first sign of pain, his hand clenching the silk sheets. He had not felt the need to do this in years, usually satisfying his sexual frustration as quickly as possible. He breathed deeply allowing his body to adjust to this intrusion and gently pushed his finger further. With his right hand he grabbed hold of his erection and tried to revive the organ that had slackened at the first sign of pain. All the while Walter could hear Krycek crying for release.

Walter adjusted his legs and added a second finger and felt a sudden flash as he finally located the spot. He increased the tempo of his right hand across his cock and matched it with the tempo of his fingers inside him. When Pierson finally took Krycek, and Krycek screamed Walter could do nothing else but whimper. Finally the pressure inside him got to be too much and then there was release. Walter laid on the bed exhausted, he had not experienced an orgasm like that in ages and he knew it was partially owing to the voyeuristic aspect of hearing Krycek and Pierson together in the next room.

Continue ... part 2

 

* * *

 

Series: Summer Breezes.  
Running on Empty ... Part 2  
Author: Erika  
Feedback:   
Pairing: Highlander/X-files  
Rating: Slash m/m  
Disc: X-files belongs to Chris Carter, 1013 and Fox Production. Highlander and its characters belong to TPTB at Panzer/Davis and their associated companies.  
Beta: Pollyanna. Who is Evil and slightly psychotic. :-P  
Summary: Worlds collide.  
    1. Ghosts.  
    2. Identity Confirmed.  
    3. Stakeouts.  
    4. Running on Empty.  
Website: http://www.geocities.com/carlajanep/Erika/EEpart00.html

* * *

Monday: Third Week

Walter's first thoughts upon awakening, in unfamiliar surroundings, was to wonder why the sheets were sticking to him. When he remembered what had occurred the night before, Walter dreaded coming up with an explanation for the ruined covers.

Walter got up to shower, got dressed and made his way to the living room. Along the way he bumped into Krycek who was dressed in black and carrying a small backpack. Upon seeing him, Krycek had just grinned and asked, "Did you find the bed to your liking?"

Just as he was about to respond Krycek commented, "At the end of the hallway there's a washer and dryer." Still grinning he explained to Walter that he should make himself at home; after all he was a guest.

He knew, Walter thought. That bastard had done it on purpose. Hadn't he told him the night before that Adam was his? What better way to prove it, than by having him listen in on their lovemaking.

Krycek grin then turned serious as he explained, "I'll be leaving after breakfast but first I need to show you something." Krycek directed him to the art room. There he opened a door, which led them into a walk-in closet. He then showed him how to open a false wall that had stairs leading to the apartment below. At seeing Walter's surprised expression, Krycek explained, "Six months ago, on my insistence, Pierson bought the apartment below. No one knows that Adam owns two apartments in the same building."

He paused by the doorway. "Walter, should there ever be a need to take Adam to safety, take this route. I keep some extra ammunition, cell phones, credit cards, cash and false identity papers here. There are also two back packs in the other room, with all the clothing you may need."

"Krycek, if something happens my agents will protect him." Walter tried to reassure the other man.

"No. Leave and don't tell anybody where you are going. When you reach a safe place have Adam call me, I'll pick you up and we will take it from there. Understand." Krycek did not leave any room for discussion.

He then took him down the stairs to a furnished apartment. Most of the furnishing was covered in white sheets and Alex explained, "Everyone in the building believes the owners are living overseas, we like to keep it that way."

After a brief tour they went back upstairs, talking along the way. They found Pierson waiting for them in the kitchen. They ate breakfast in silence as Walter tried to absorb everything Alex had shown him, and as the two men relaxed in the relative peace of eating together.

As Krycek got up to leave, he nodded to Walter and reminded him of the promise he had made downstairs, then he kissed Pierson goodbye telling the young man to do his homework.

"Make my day," Adam had replied with a mischievous grin and Krycek doing a bad imitation of the Terminator had chuckled and said, "I'll be back."

Later as they were putting away the dishes, Adam informed him that he had some work to do and that Walter should make himself at home. "Oh, by the way Alex told me you needed to have some laundry done?" Upon seeing Walter surprised expression, Adam confided, "Krycek mentioned it." He then shrugged absentmindedly. Walter wondered when had the two men talked, after all they had been eating in total silence. Then it hit him. They had been now and again holding hands underneath the table. Damn.

"You're going to have to teach me that, kid."

"What?" At Walter's continued glare Adam had the grace to blush.

Since Walter had promised Krycek he would not leave Pierson alone in the apartment, he called Scully with his cell phone. After a brief discussion he then called his secretary Kim and cancelled all his appointments for at least two weeks.

Upon finishing his phone calls Walter decided to change the sheets, get the laundry done and familiarize himself better with the place. By the time it was noon, Walter had looked in on every room in the place except for Adam's bedroom. Finally, standing outside the room he decided to enter and investigate. Unlike the guest bedroom, the Master bedroom contained very little furnishing. The room was dominated by a King size bed covered in dark-red satin sheets and an old oak chest opened to display two old swords and an axe. He wondered if these pieces were a family heirloom, but they looked used and they seemed to have been recently polished.

As he made his way to the kitchen he found Pierson already there making omelettes. Walter could hear in the back of his mind Krycek's dire warnings, "Don't let him cook for you." But how could he turn Adam down, Walter thought, especially when he could observe Pierson singing and dancing to Aretha Franklin.

At the end of the day, Walter was still alive and Krycek's dire predictions with regards to Adam's cooking had not come true. Just as he was about to climb into bed, Walter heard Pierson scream. He grabbed his gun and ran to Adam's bedroom where he found the young man completely in the grips of a horrifying nightmare. Adam kept screaming to someone named Kronos and weeping for Silas to forgive him. No amount of shaking would wake him up and Skinner found himself running out of options, then a thought occurred to him. He touched Adam's face using the same hand gesture he had seen Krycek do countless times on the surveillance tape. Immediately the young man calmed down and Pierson shakily called, "Alex?"

"No. It's Walter. You had a bad dream." Silence greeted him. "Want to tell me about it?"

"I'd rather not."

Walter could feel the younger man still shaking and he gently let him go. As he got up to get a wet towel for Adam's face, the young man stopped him by holding on to his hand and asking him to stay. "Please."

He took Adam in his arms and waited for the shivers to go down and found after a time that the younger man had fallen asleep. As he gathered the satin sheets around Pierson the young man sleepily murmured, "Don't go." Adam then made room for him in the bed and waited for Walter to join him. As Walter lay next to Adam the other man moved into his arms. He thought, this is heaven.

~oo00oo~

Sunday:  
A week later.

It was three o'clock in the morning and Walter woke up to find himself still not used to sleeping with someone beside him. Adam, Walter thought, was a snuggler and he found that after so many years of sleeping alone he was enjoying his time spent in Adam's bed, even if it was just to provide some comfort. Adam had been suffering from nightmares all week. When Walter had asked him how often this happened, Adam had replied, not since he had met Krycek.

He had no idea what Krycek would make of this. No, that was untrue he knew what Krycek would do. He would castrate him and then kill him. Krycek would probably react the same way Walter would, upon discovering someone was sleeping with his lover even if they were under innocent circumstances.

As for the double-crossing agent, Krycek had called the day before informing him that he had picked up a tail outside of Paris. When Walter had asked him what he was doing in Paris, Krycek had replied, knowing thy enemy. An obscure message which matched Krycek's usual style of sharing or passing on information.

But not even that unusual message could make Walter regret the events of the past week for he had gotten to know a great deal about Adam Pierson. Yes, Walter had to concede, Krycek had been right. Left to his own devices, Adam might accidentally poison him. On Wednesday, two hours after breakfast, Scully had to be brought up to check on him and confirm what Adam had been telling him all along as Walter knelt by the toilet. "No, he was not going to die."

She had stayed the rest of the day to make sure Walter was all right. Walter blushed thinking back to how he had literally thrown Scully out of the apartment due to an overwhelming jealous fit that had overtaken him upon seeing the easygoing flirtation taking place between Adam and Scully.

"Let me get this straight, instead of taking you with him, at least for backup, Mulder leaves you behind? Drops you like a bad shoe?" Adam asked incredulously.

"Not only that but once he tried to convince me a vampire had bitten him. Right here," Scully confided, bearing her neck and showing where the bite mark would have been on the said agent.

"Really." Adam tried to keep from laughing.

"But it was only a kid wearing false teeth."

Adam tilted his head to the side, giving this information a great deal of thought. "Well ... I can see where he could get confused." They shared a smile.

"Tea."

"Please." Another smile shared between them, and this time their hands touched as Scully handed her cup to Adam. Walter just stared coldly at them both.

"Actually, Scully, I'd feel much better if you were downstairs keeping a eye on our wayward agent." Walter informed them both.

"But ..." Walter picked Scully up from the couch and directed her toward the door, handing her the medical kit along the way. As he was just about to closed the door, Adam standing behind him chirped in. "Please come back again, Dana. Maybe for tea and biscuits?" Walter slammed the door shut.

And Walter found that Krycek was also right about the chess. Adam did cheat. Adam easily distracted his opponents with his easygoing manner and amusing anecdotes. So said opponent, more often than not, found themselves moving their Queen forward instead of to the left only to hear Adam innocently declare checkmate.

Walter looked down at the young man in his arms. He knew he did not want this to end, but Krycek was coming back. No matter how hard he tried, Walter could not wish him away. Adam stirred, sighing gently and whispering Walter's name. Krycek would surely kill him.

~oo00oo~

Monday: Fifth week

At breakfast, Adam had asked him if Walter would mind letting him have some fresh air. Walter decided after being cooped up in the apartment for a week Adam deserved some time outside. He called Mulder to inform him of his decision, giving him time to get his men in place. Mulder, Walter realized, was still angry that he had not been allowed to accompany Scully upstairs to the apartment to check up on Walter when they had believed that Adam had accidentally given him food poisoning. Indeed, upon hearing of Walter's decision to take Adam outside, Mulder had asked him if the wallflower was wilting from the lack of sunshine.

Now downstairs in the van, Mulder had handed him a file containing information on the man who had accosted Adam in the university library, Duncan MacLeod.

MacLeod was a resident of Paris who divided his time between Paris and Seacouver. He was an antique dealer, financially independent and could usually be found frequenting a bar called Joe's. MacLeod had at one time been friends with Adam, and now Krycek was in Paris ... 'Knowing the Enemy.'

Walter sighed in exasperation, couldn't Krycek have warned him he had gone to Paris to check up on MacLeod? To see if this man posed a danger to Adam?

"Where is he now?" Walter asked.

"As of yesterday," Mulder replied checking his papers, "he was still in New York. We haven't found anything to connect him to the Consortium, but some of the information the French and the Seacouver authorities faxed over to us revealed a list of robberies and murders somehow tied to this man. Nothing conclusive, nothing to hold him to the crimes themselves but enough suspicion to raise doubts."

"Why hasn't he been arrested?"

"Lack of concrete proof to tie him to any of the crimes."

"And he is an antique dealer?"

"Most of his problems started five years ago, when his lover, an artist by the name of Tessa Noel, was shot and killed."

"Tessa Noel?" Walter asked, remembering the statue in Adam's living room.

"Yeah. She's ..." Mulder was interrupted by an agent calling to inform him a man had approached Scully and Pierson in the Park.

Walter looked at the television screen as another agent with a camera tried to get a close-up of this man. When the man turned to face their direction he heard Mulder cry out, "That's Duncan MacLeod. Okay people get into position. Blue team I want you to approach carefully try to get Scully's attention and see if you can ..."

"Wait."

"Sir?"

"They're old friends."

"But he's ..."

"They had a falling out. Now get everyone into position. I'm going in."

"But, sir."

"Adam is a civilian. He is not trained for something like this. Mulder, follow my lead. I'll get Scully and Adam by those trees. Have your men wait for us there and if necessary you can ambush the guy. You and I both know, that right now he could take either one of them hostage and we would be too far away to get a decent shot."

"I'm coming with you."

"No. Stay with the men, Mulder. I need you here to lead the operation." And with that said, Walter left the van, and made his way towards Adam. All the while, all he could think of was, please God don't let me be wrong.

As he approached them he noticed that Adam looked pale and it was Scully who was conversing with the other man. Adam noticed him first and smiled. The other man turned around and caught sight of him. Walter hoped that his agents were in position.

When he finally reached them, silence greeted him until Adam shook himself visibly as though awakening from a dream and made the introductions. The other man's handgrip was strong and firm. He looked questionably at him, but aside from that he seemed more curious to discover Walter's connection to Adam Pierson.

From earlier reports of MacLeod's meeting with Adam Pierson in the library, the agents had described him as being possessive, now to test this theory.

He grabbed hold of Adam's hand. He pulled Adam gently towards him, his body effectively blocking MacLeod from getting anywhere near Adam. When he let Adam go he noticed Scully had moved to the back of them, her hand behind her back where she was carrying her gun. Walter turned to face MacLeod keeping Adam behind him, knowing that Scully would take this opportunity to pull Adam towards the direction of the agents making their way towards them.

MacLeod glared at them both and then asked Adam, what the hell was going on.

But before Adam could reply, Walter said, "Adam, do me a favour and accompany Scully back to the apartment. I'll be right behind you."

"Walter."

"Adam," Walter said, his tone indicating that there should be no arguments. He then turned to MacLeod and invited him for a walk towards the trees where he knew his men were waiting for them. MacLeod unexpectedly grabbed hold of his left hand and lifted it to look at the wrist.

Walter asked, "Are you looking for something?"

"A tattoo. I guess you are not one of them." MacLeod explained letting go of Walter's hand. "So, care to explain to me, what was that about."

"I was just trying to reassure Adam. He didn't seem that pleased to see you."

"We had a falling out."

"So he told me." At this information, MacLeod looked at him sharply and asked, "What exactly did he tell you?"

"He hadn't expected to see you here. So, Mr. MacLeod, that does bring a question to mind, what are you doing here?"

"A friend asked if I could look in on him. He was concerned that he had not heard from Adam in so many months."

"I see."

"He always does seem to land on his feet." MacLeod said bitterly, losing his inner struggle over his anger. "So, he got himself a new daddy."

"Stay away from him, MacLeod," Walter said, thinking that they certainly did not need this new complication in their lives.

But then MacLeod surprised Walter by abruptly stating, "He's not carrying a weapon."

"Excuse me?"

"So. He has not told you."

"Told us what MacLeod? What are you implying?"

Whatever bitterness or anger MacLeod had displayed at the beginning of this conversation had now turned to concern as he tried to discover what was wrong with his friend. Walter could now understand some of the hidden pain he had witnessed in Adam's eyes when he had told Krycek that MacLeod was just a friend and nothing more. Walter surmised that at one time Adam had been in love with MacLeod but whatever the falling out between them it seemed to have not completely destroyed their friendship.

A part of Walter wanted to answer this man truthfully, but he knew he could not jeopardize Adam's safety.

"Adam is with me. If you care for him let him be."

"What happened to his toyboy Alex."

Goddamn it, Walter thought, when he got his hands on Krycek he was going to strangle him. "I beg your pardon?"

"There is something you are not telling me and I am going to find out. You can't hide him forever, Skinner. I will get to the bottom of this."

"There is nothing to get, MacLeod. Adam is fine. There is no need for you to concern yourself."

"But that's where you are wrong. Because whenever Adam is involved something catastrophic is likely to happen. And not all of us are immortal." And with that said, MacLeod left.

Walter sighed. It seemed Krycek had forgotten to mention that he knew MacLeod. What else was new, Walter thought, did you actually think Krycek would tell you the whole truth? It was time he stopped playing the romantic fool and started acting like the FBI agent he was.

He met Adam and Scully in the van, talking softly. They stopped when he entered the vehicle. He knew he was feeling irrational but did they really have to sit so close together. Scully told him Mulder was directing the other agents to follow MacLeod and that he would soon be joining them.

"Who is he, Adam?" Skinner asked. "Tell me honestly what is he to you?"

As soon as those two questions left his lips, Walter regretted voicing them when he saw the pain in Adam's eyes. Walter had always found himself unable to completely describe the colour of the young man's eyes as they had sometimes shifted from green, to grey or sometimes to hazel. Frequently, in this past week, he had felt that Adam's eyes captured well the mischievous nature the young man had seemed to often display. The only time he had felt otherwise was when Adam had been in a grip of his nightmares and his eyes would reflect the panic and pain of an ancient soul. But he had never seen this. Adam looked completely defeated as though someone had zapped his boundless energy away from him. He looked at him like a lost puppy that had been kicked by a person he had thought he could trust and Walter did not know what to do.

In a quiet voice Adam explained about MacLeod, his deep friendship with the other man, how through that friendship two years ago he had met a young girl working as a waitress at a friend's bar in Seacouver and had fallen madly in love with her. She had cancer and they had decided to spend her remaining time travelling the world. He would have given anything for her to have lived, but their trip was cut short and she died in a hospital in Geneva and was now buried in Paris. Her name was Alexa Bond, and she had taught him how to live again after so many years spent not really living but drifting in the wind.

Hearing Adam, Walter realized that she was the young woman in the pictures that were up in the apartment. Walter wondered how much of Adam's pain and current nightmares were tied to feelings of guilt, survivor guilt to be precise. After all, in the past two years, Adam has lost not only his adoptive family, his friendship with MacLeod, but also this young woman.

For a young man with no home, and who had already experienced at a young age the loss of his family it must have been devastating to have found himself alone again.

Just as Walter was about to apologize Mulder walked into the van. "What the hell is going on!"

"Mulder. I don't ..." Scully said trying to calm her partner but she never got to finish as Mulder turned to Walter. "Answer me this. Are you involved with him as well? Fuck! What does the kid have that everyone is falling over themselves to protect him?"

"Mulder."

"No, Skinner. You know I'm right. Something is going on. Krycek has turned soft going all lovey dovey over a kid ... a kid, you practically man-handled him in the park, Scully recites poetry with him and half my staff probably want to jump his bones!"

"Half? Don't you think you are exaggerating?" Scully put in trying to lighten the mood but Mulder refused to be budged. Walter suspected that Mulder's frustration at the lack of progress they were making on the case, his inability to get close to question the subject and his growing resentment over Krycek's defection to another camp, all contributed in creating a volatile Mulder who refused to be silenced.

"I have a right to know."

"Mulder, I already told you ..."

"Yes ... yes we need him alive, but for how long? I'm an FBI agent not a babysitter. This isn't even an X-file."

"Do you want it to be?" Adam cut in.

"Don't tempt me kid. Krycek has already warned me that if I so much as lay a hand on you he would skin me alive."

"That never stopped you before," Walter asked a bit curious as to the relationship between Krycek and Mulder.

"Yeah well. He never threatened to kill me before either."

So, Walter thought, Krycek had finally decided to stop being Mulder's punching bag. This latest development was probably killing Mulder, who probably had no idea what to make of Krycek's feelings towards Adam let alone accept the easy comradeship he was seeing develop between Adam and Scully.

"Mulder." Walter said hoping this new line of questioning would distract his agent, "are the agents following MacLeod?"

"Yeah." Mulder said distractedly still looking at Adam. "So, is he another one of your jilted lovers?"

Adam's hands clenched and his jaw locked. He pushed past Mulder and left the van, making his way towards the apartment building. Walter followed right behind him calling his name, but Adam ignored him. Walter caught up with him in the elevator. As they were going up, Adam refused to look at him, instead he stared intently in front of him. When they got off the elevator and finally reached the apartment door Walter almost got it slammed to his face. Opening the door he saw Adam make his way to the master bedroom and shut himself in.

This hasn't been a good day, Walter reflected, and it wasn't even noon yet.

By suppertime with Adam still hiding in his room Walter was getting anxious. Scully had called him several times during the day. She was concerned about Adam and she was keeping him informed to the recent developments. The agents tailing MacLeod had followed him to Queens where he was visiting a friend. Meanwhile at the apartment, Walter had already knocked several times on Adam's door but the young man had refused to answer.

~oo00oo~  
    
It was midnight and Walter was unable to sleep. Adam had refused to come out of his room, and after a week spent sleeping next to the young man Walter found himself unable to fall asleep without having Adam next to him. Finally, Walter decided he couldn't take anymore of this, he needed to check up on Adam. So, Walter got out of bed and made his way to Adam's bedroom. This time instead of knocking, he opened the door and there he saw Adam sleeping on the bed. Walter could clearly see that Adam was only wearing boxers as he had thrown his covers off and they lay crumpled next to him on the bed. Walter made his way to the king size bed to cover Adam up and it was then that the young man woke up.

"Walter?" Adam sleepily asked.

"Go back to sleep."

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah."

"How come you are not in bed?"

"I just wanted to check up on you."

"Oh." Walter saw Adam rub his eyes as though trying to shake off his sleepy state. "Walter?"

"Hum."

"I miss Alex."

"I know."

Walter gathered Adam in his arms and lay next to him on the bed. He was not too surprised when Adam shifted a bit, looked at him and said, "Fuck me."

"Adam."

"Please."

"Adam ... when ... if I ever make love to you it will be about us and it won't be about you trying to replace someone or trying to escape from the real world. Don't get me wrong, I want you, Adam, and this past week has been ..."

"Torture?"

"Yeah."

"Good."

"Remind me to tell Krycek he should spank you more often."

"Promise."

"Adam." Walter said finding out for the first time that he was unable to read the emotion on the young man's face. "What about Krycek?"

"I don't know Walter. I do love him but ..." he sighed and buried himself deeper into the covers.

"I know."

And with that said, Walter gathered Adam back into his arms and watched him as he fell asleep.

Walter did not know what to make of this. He knew a part of him wondered if Adam was his mid-life crisis, and the other half wondered how much of his feelings towards Adam were somehow tied to Benjamin. Was Adam a substitute? No. He could not accept that, but he could not deny it completely.

As Adam moved his head to the side, Walter moved his hand to smooth down a few strands of hair that had stood up. His hair was soft, Walter thought remembering having done the same thing to Benjamin. Unlike Adam, Ben's hair had been longer and had curled at the ends giving him an even younger appearance.

He remembered the first time he had cut Ben's hair. It had been after they made love and Ben had fallen asleep. He had slept very little that night, spending most of his time observing the rise and fall of Ben's chest as he breathed, the way the moonlight coming through the windows caressed his lover's skin, and learning how Ben even in sleep responded to his touch.

Never before or after had Walter felt more like a musician who was learning the hidden secrets of playing his instrument. But in this case the instrument had not been the violin but Ben's body. After weeks of slight flirtation, moving to kissing and intense foreplay, Ben had declared them ready for the next step of their relationship. Walter had felt ready for some time but Ben had decreed that they should wait, that there was no rush, and that they had all the time in the world. It was only now holding onto Adam that Walter could understand Ben's intentions. He had wanted them to make love as a result of their feelings for each other not because of the situation they found themselves in. The war already dictated too much of their lives, Ben had once explained to him, but it should have no place in the bedroom.

Walter to this day could never forget the sweetness, the intensity he felt when finally the day came for them to make love. It had been raining quite heavily and on their way from the orphanage to Ben's bungalow they had become completely soaked. Both of them had resembled drowned cats. There they had started to take off their wet clothes and they both glanced at each other at the same time and that was it ... they knew it was time. Ben had laughed when Walter had launched himself at him, insisting instead that Walter wait until they remove all of their wet clothes or they would wet the bed.

Once they were completely undressed, Ben had left Walter sitting on the bed and gone to the small kitchen to warm up some water. When he returned, he told Walter he had been hoarding water for a special occasion. They both lay on the bed waiting for the water to warm up, just holding each other and whispering unimportant things really, both of them just enjoying the quiet time together. Walter had later dozed off only to be awakened by Benjamin who directed him into the small bathtub. He had got into the tub and Benjamin had soon followed. They had both slowly taken turns bathing each other, stealing a kiss here and there, getting their bodies used to this close proximity and to each other's nakedness.  
    
In the bath tub, Walter had been too embarrassed to ask if he was going to be bottom and Ben must have sensed his nervousness because he had leaned close to him, kissing his jaw line and working his way to his ear, and whispered, "I want you to make love to me, and I want you to do it so hard I can still feel the burn when I wake up tomorrow." Walter had wanted to take him right then but Ben had laughed breathlessly and forced him out of the tub all the while singing, "Bed. Bed. Bed."

On the bed, Walter finally pinned Ben down kissing him and marking him as his. From previous foreplay he knew Ben's nipples were sensitive to the touch and that he could make Ben come if he were to suck, lick and chew at them, but he ignored the temptation and instead kissed his way to Ben's navel marvelling at how his lover kept arching his back and calling out his name.

"Walter... oh god please ... "

He took him in his mouth knowing that his weight would hold him down. When Benjamin stopped swearing and opened his legs wider giving Walter greater access, Walter instead let him go. At this action Ben opened his eyes and declared, "You are so dead."

"Ben I wanna ..." He stopped, not being able to find the words.

"Hand me that jar ... no the other one."

Walter opened the jar and watched as Ben took a good amount of Vaseline, first coating Walter's penis and then applying some on his opening. He waited until he got Walter's full attention and slowly slipped a finger inside his anus.

"Now you do it."

"Ben?"

"Give me your hand, put some of that stuff on your fingers ... okay, now put it inside me ... yeah just like that ... oh god, Walter."

Walter watched as Ben started to twist and turn accommodating both their fingers and then Ben arched begging Walter to add another. Ben's finger slipped out as both his hands went to his sides grabbing onto the bed sheets all the while he fucked himself on Walter's fingers.

"Walter, now!"

With those words Walter flipped Ben over and replaced his fingers with his penis, sinking all the way inside. He waited until Ben adjusted to this intrusion then used his knees to spread Ben's legs further apart. Walter watched how his lover reacted to this move and then started to ...

Something covered his mouth. Walter panicked and opened his eyes. It was dark and he had been dreaming of Benjamin. Adam laid by his side sleeping.

The hand moved as the light was turned on and a gun pointed in his direction. It was Krycek, who was staring coldly at him. "Don't move."

~oo00oo~

To be continued ... Next chapter: Protecting Adam.  
  

  
Archived: November 03, 2001 


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